Compass Rose
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: A chance encounter a couple of months post the events of Tartaros' uprising changes Lucy and Cobra's lives forever. Though it's only the first of many more random run-in's to come.
1. Chapter 1

**This is for a prompt challenge issued by Eien-ni-Touko! It was supposed to be a mini-fic/one-shot, but it ended up combining with a longer fic I've had in mind for quite a while now. So here I am again starting a long project.**

 **Oh well.**

 **Theme Song: "Compass" by Lady Antebellum.**

 **Prompt: Things you said when you thought I was asleep**

 **Warning: Rated M for mature themes and implications.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, or the song.**

* * *

Cobra was bored. Out of his mind, ready to murder someone for entertainment bored. Unfortunately, Jellal frowned upon that particular remedy (how was _he_ supposed to know that was a no-no? Did Cobra _look_ like a fucking mind-reader? And no, it's not fucking mind-reading it's Soul Listening magic! You'd think after two months Jellal would have learned the difference by now, but apparently _not_ ). So the former dark mage was stuck in his current predicament with no relief in sight.

Said predicament entailed utilizing Cobra's strongest ability to gather intelligence on potential targets for Crime Sorciere to take down. For someone who couldn't seem to remember the proper name for it, Jellal was rather good at making use of Cobra's Soul Listening magic. In this instance, Cobra had picked the seediest looking bar he could find in the worst part of town. Then he had chosen a shadowed table in the corner, and proceeded to consume enough alcohol to kill a lesser human being.

Being the Poison Dragon Slayer, Cobra was – of course – unaffected by the drinks, but he acted the part well. Slowly becoming progressively "drunker" until he was "passed out" on the table. All he had to do was let out a false snore every once in a while, and just listen to the various patrons. Eventually, some sort of criminal or another would appear and once Cobra had finished eavesdropping, he could leave.

It was extremely droll, but it worked more often than not.

Except tonight appeared to be one of the days he went bust.

He was about ready to start screaming. Nothing had happened, not one single interesting thing had occurred in the entirety of the five hours he'd already wasted in this shit-hole. It fucking stank; the people, the bar itself, the entire fucking neighborhood. The visuals weren't much better, and his Dragon Slayer hearing – let alone that of his Soul Listening magic – was picking up all sorts of things he would rather not be privy to. Like the cat orgy going on in the back alley, or the argument between the Dobsons two tenements over regarding who left the laundry outside to dry, only for a thief to steal Mrs. Dobson's flower-print bloomers.

Cobra still had another hour left to go _at least_ before the bar closed and he could "wake up" and stumble on out of there.

A few minutes passed, and the sound of an approaching soul caught Cobra's attention. It seemed familiar to him, though he could not immediately place it. Instantly, his guard was up; every nerve-ending in his body on high alert. This could end badly, and he needed to be able to fight his way out if it became necessary.

He nearly cursed aloud as he realized that he wasn't wearing his dark blue Crime Sorciere cloak. It had been too fucking hot to wear it – although it was already October, this region of Fiore was more temperate and Cobra would have suffocated under the cloth had he worn it.

The door creaked open, light footsteps entering the building. As he listened to the soul a little more intently, Cobra nearly groaned aloud.

' _No,'_ he thought. _'Nononononononono.'_

Of all the people, it just _had_ to be the woman his group had tried to sacrifice to a clock earlier this year.

Great. Perfect. Just fucking fantastic.

Cobra would just have to hope that Lucy Heartfilia didn't recognize him. Though he wasn't especially confident with that plan, as he was a rather distinctive individual, after all. He may not have directly hurt her himself, but he'd tried to murder her friends on several occasions and somehow he doubted that Lucy would react well to seeing him.

Feeling her gaze sweep around the room, he forced himself to remain still as it settled upon him. For a few moments, she stared at him, confused – then comprehension dawned on her as she processed his spiky maroon hair, dark skin, and pointed ears.

Ah, fuck. She recognized him. The Celestial mage hadn't even needed to sees his hidden (for the moment) scar to place him as Cobra of the Oracion Seis and the Neo Oracion Seis.

Her first instinct was to flee. It was a good one, and she should've listened to it, Cobra thought.

' _What in Earthland is Cobra doing here?'_ Lucy wondered, her curiosity winning out over her instinct for self-preservation. After her initial gut-reaction, there was a shocking lack of real fear inside of her. Instead, she was filled with… _nostalgia?_

What the fuck was _wrong_ with this chick?

Lucy, after a brief moment of rather intense internal debate, then made her way over to the man she believed to be unconscious.

Cobra guessed if she wasn't going to scream or otherwise blow his cover, there really wasn't anything he could do about her. At least not at the moment. He did have to admit that he found her reaction to him intriguing, however. Personally, if he had run into an equivalent situation in her shoes, he would have either fled or tried to get the drop on his foe.

Forcing his muscles to relax, he waited as she slid into a chair opposite him.

The bartender made his way over to the table. "Friend of yours, Miss?" he inquired, gaze sweeping over the blonde woman's curvaceous form with no trace of shame.

"Um…" Lucy scrambled for an answer, her heartrate skyrocketing at the unexpected question. Apparently, she had forgotten that there were other people in the room, and just how strange it was for her to approach the drunken, slumbering man in the corner. Fuck, she was going to blow his cover after all wasn't she?

She cleared her throat. "An associate," she lied smoothly. "One whom is incapable of displaying… moderation whilst waiting, it would seem."

Raising an eyebrow, the bartender regarded her suspiciously. "Can hardly blame him – he's been here for hours already."

"Hardly my fault that he cannot be trusted to remember the correct meeting time," Lucy replied with a derisive curl of her lip.

Cobra was rather impressed. What was she up to? _She_ didn't even seem to know.

Lucy curtailed further questions by pressing jewels into the bartender's hand. "I appreciate your understanding in regards to our… privacy," she stated.

Money spoke in this part of town, and the bartender immediately lost all interest in the situation. "What will you be having to drink?" he asked, slipping the notes into a hidden pocket.

"Pint of ale," Lucy commanded. "Whatever's harshest."

After the bartender departed, Lucy continued to regard her – by all appearances – slumbering tablemate. When the man returned with her drink, she handed him the payment and he departed once more.

Lucy sipped on the liquid, biting back a grimace at the taste.

Cobra had to restrain himself from laughing. That was what she got when she said, 'harshest'! Something barely above the rank of horse piss.

Then, to Cobra's bewilderment, she began to softly speak to him. "What are you doing in _this_ backwater place?" Hiding her lips' movements with the tankard, she continued, "Pretty sure I last heard you were in prison." Her eyes narrowed. "Given your element, I would've thought you immune to alcohol."

Keeping his breathing regular and even, Cobra didn't give her any indication that she was correct.

She relaxed a little. "But I guess if you were awake, you wouldn't have let me get this close to you without kicking up a fuss."

Which begged the question why he _was_ letting her persist in existing within his proximity, but Cobra mentally shrugged it off as preferable to the boredom he'd been suffering through all night.

"I guess we can't really be considered enemies at the moment, though," she suddenly confessed, wistfulness colouring her voice. "As I'm no longer a member of a legal mage guild, there's no reason to turn you in when you haven't bothered me."

Ah, yes. The disbandment of Fairy Tail. Cobra had heard about that – Jellal and Meredy had gone into full-blown catatonic fits that had lasted an entire week when they'd heard the news. Then, upon recovering, Jellal (and Meredy as well) had ordered Cobra to keep his ear out for any news surrounding the whereabouts of the Titania, the Stripper, and the Water Woman. Cobra had a vague sense of the direction they'd headed, but other than that he had no clue.

So what had Lucy been up to while the rest of her friends and family scattered?

Sorrow washed through the Celestial mage's entire being. "Fairy Tail was disbanded, three months ago. I joined Sorcerer Weekly as a reporter… I know. Kind of lame. But there's plenty of time for training, I guess. I get to polish my writing. And I'm able to keep tabs on everyone. Bet you're happy that your enemies have fallen, huh?"

Cobra wasn't especially. Kinana had been a part of Fairy Tail – it still wasn't clear to the Poison Dragon Slayer where she'd disappeared to. Just like seven years ago. But this time he knew he would find her again. Someday. Also, Jellal's mental anguish and lamentations over Erza were getting pretty fucking annoying.

There was intense rage boiling underneath the surface of this woman's soul. It was masking a deeper hurt, though. Interesting, but it still didn't tell Cobra why she was doing this. Why was this person, now an investigative reporter, in this particular section of the world's underbelly? Cobra doubted she was there to sightsee.

Was she using him as cover?

 _That_ would be an ironic twist.

Or was she simply venting to an available ear?

Cobra's attention shifted from the rambling blonde to a disheveled, altogether unsavory group in the opposite corner of the room. The Poison Dragon Slayer felt queasy listening to their souls and thoughts – not a usual thing for him but these people were the lowest of the low. And that was coming from someone who'd tried to take over/destroy/completely alter the entire world on more than one occasion. But they weren't mages, or affiliated in any way to Zeref or anyone else who was. They were just local scumbags that preyed on the ones that couldn't ask for help, be it from the authorities or the guilds. Cobra disapproved heartily – was the point of picking on the weak? They were no challenge.

However, this group had just said something that warranted the former dark mage's further interest. Something about the woman whose company he now seemed to have, for whatever reason.

"Look at this uppity cunt, wandering in here, like she's better than the rest of us."

"Waving that money and body around in front of us? Fucking tease."

"And she forgoes our company for that drunkard? Who the fuck does she think she is?"

Cobra's temper did not flare in scorching heat like the Salamander's would have, but it surged in a cold rush of venom through his veins all the same. Who the fuck did these _worms_ think they were? Lucy wasn't on display, let alone for _their_ benefit. And although he was "unconscious" and a former enemy, Cobra was still far better company than they. The Celestial mage was showing fantastic taste, in his opinion.

Even _he_ thought it was odd, how defensive he felt about his former sacrificial victim – though to be fair, she'd been Midnight's choice in that department. Cobra hadn't been entirely on board with that plot but that was somewhat irrelevant at the moment.

It was the next statement out of one of slime's mouths that sealed their fate.

"Let's teach this frigid bitch a lesson. You know – the usual way."

The world stilled for Cobra, as he heard exactly what these men intended to do.

Cobra fought the growl arising from deep within him.

There were many, many things the Poison Dragon Slayer had done in his life that could be classified as evil. He did not regret them, not like Jellal did. Murder. Mayhem. Wide-scale destruction. Torture. Cobra had reveled in every second of misery he had sown, treasured every drop of pain he had inflicted. Even what his group had attempted to do to this same woman here – erase her very existence – he didn't really regret. Much. He hadn't changed – not significantly. Although the Dragon Slayer would no longer perpetrate the same acts he had before, Cobra was still very much a monster.

But not even _he_ had done anything remotely like what these trash heaps were planning.

 _There were lines even Dokuryuu no Cobra would not cross._

This was one of them.

Muscles tensed, Cobra listened as one of the thugs made their way up to the bar. Ordering some beer, as he turned he dropped something into the frothing liquid. As he approached the table, Cobra fought to keep himself steady just a few moments longer.

' _Wait until he's in range,'_ Cobra told himself.

Lucy was still softly muttering at Cobra, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to partially face the unpleasant man holding a tankard out to her. "What?" she asked.

"The boys and I thought such a pretty little thing might like another drink –" the man began.

He didn't get the opportunity to finish. Cobra's head shot up, and he gave the two startled people his most feral smile. "I'm _touched_ , that you would get 'a pretty little thing' like me something to drink. Though I'm afraid _you're_ rather repulsive."

Lucy's mouth hung open, as she watched Cobra stand up.

Cobra snatched the drugged beer out of the man's hand. Downing it in several long gulps, he grimaced at the taste. Oh, yeah. That would've fucked up the girl pretty badly. Luckily, this sort of thing would only make Cobra's magic stronger.

Once the tankard was drained, Cobra wasted little time in smashing it across the man's face.

Crumpling like wet paper, the greasy little roach hit the concrete floor hard.

Then Cobra turned his attention to the thugs on the other side of the bar.

It was really way too much of a one-sided fight. The Poison Dragon Slayer did not even use any of his magic, aside from the passive Soul Listening. Even then, he wouldn't have needed it – their movements were slow, and clumsy. Nothing compared the Salamander and Titania's attacks.

In the blink of an eye, several bodies lay scattered about the bar. Draped over tables, collapsed on the floor or slumped against the walls. There was even a man sprawled across the bar counter top, right beside the only other patron in the place – a man of singularly oblivious disposition that had not even noticed a brawl had broken out, so engrossed in his book he was.

Cobra plunked back down in his chair across from Lucy, who still had not entirely processed what had just happened. Smirking, Cobra enlightened her, "They thought it would be a good idea to drug your drink."

Fury passed over the Celestial mage's face for a brief moment. A brilliant, glowing smile soon replaced it.

Prickles of not-quite-fear traveled up Cobra's spine at the eerie grin. Something about it had his survival instincts going haywire.

"Could you give me a moment, please?" she asked, rising from her seat.

Observing as the former Fairy Tail mage made her way over to the apparent ringleader, Cobra nearly hummed with malicious glee at the thoughts passing through Lucy's mind. He laughed aloud as she delivered several vicious, deadly kicks to the man with her heeled boots.

That piece of shit human being would no longer be capable of reproducing.

Lucy returned to the table, smiling again at Cobra. "I think I owe you a drink."

Cobra snorted. "Several. Why don't you stay and have some with me."

She hesitated, considering the offer. But that near-miss had her spooked. "Rain-check?"

Shrugging, he agreed, "Next time then. And you're buying." Standing again, she paused. "Um…"

"I don't respect anyone," Cobra responded, amused by her sudden nervousness around him, "but I don't tolerate trash disrespecting my enemies. Even former ones." He gave her a long look. "That's the same as saying they don't respect _my choice_ of enemies. And that I cannot abide."

Lucy bit her lip. "So… were you…"

"I was awake the entire time."

The Celestial mage passed a hand over her face and groaned. "I should've known."

Cobra grinned at her. "Yeah. Although, you did say some interesting things."

A strangled noise emanated from her throat. "Why did you let me go on like that without saying anything…?"

"Reasons." When she didn't look satisfied with that, Cobra rolled up his sleeve to expose his new guild mark. "I'm working."

Lucy gasped at the sight of Crime Sorciere's emblem. "So you're –"

"Right." Cobra pulled his sleeve back down. "Things change."

Pained wistfulness pulled at Lucy's face. "I suppose they do."

"Next time," Cobra promised, fully intending there to be another encounter with the blonde. She was interesting, and had alleviated his boredom. Besides, he'd never figured out why she was there in the first place.

"I guess so." Lucy made to leave, but hesitated at the doorway. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, by the way."

Cobra waved it off. "Be careful heading back," he warned her. "That tattooed freak will do me in if something happens to one of the psycho redhead's teammates."

Lucy let out a short laugh, and then departed.

From his hiding place behind the bar, the bartender – also the owner – glared at Cobra over the countertop.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll clean up my mess."

The Dragon Slayer glanced at the limp cretins all around.

Tonight, Cobra was going to blatantly ignore Jellal's preachings about forgiveness and redemption and civil conduct.

Cobra was going to _tear_ them _apart_. And he was going to _enjoy_ it. _Very much so_.

* * *

 **To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Whew! Finally finished with this chapter. Glad you guys are enjoying it so far!**_

 _ **Warning: Again, I rated this one M for a reason. Beware of triggers.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

* * *

Dawn had cast her tendrils of light and pastel-hued clouds upon the sky, shooing away stars, before Cobra finally returned to Crime Sorciere's camp. The rest of the group, sans Midnight, were starting to pack up already.

Cobra sighed when he saw the deconstructed tents. It looked like he would be traveling on no rest again.

"Erik!" a pink-haired woman shouted, spotting him. "There you are! We were beginning to get worried-" Her speech cut off as she got a good look at her guild mate. "W-what happened to you?! You're covered in blood!"

Dammit. He'd forgotten to clean up before heading back. He must be more tired than he thought.

Neatly sidestepping her oncoming rush towards him, Cobra shook his head at Meredy. "It's not mine, calm down."

"Then whose is it." The quiet statement originated from Cobra's left, and the former dark mage turned to view his Guild Master. "Whose blood is that?" Like his words, Jellal's face was hard as he stared at Cobra. "What have you done, Erik?"

Cobra rolled his purple eye at bluenette. "None of your damn business."

"Don't," Jellal warned the Poison Dragon Slayer. The rest of Crime Sorciere exchanged glances behind him, wary and tense. "Don't tell me what is and what isn't my concern, Erik. I want to know why a member of my guild is sporting bloodstains that aren't his own."

Indigo clashed with hazel as Cobra refused to react to Jellal's words. "Because I killed seven men last night," Cobra informed him levelly. "Then I dismembered the corpses, and dissolved them with my poison." His tone was light, almost conversational.

Though slight, there was one untruth in that statement.

The rapists hadn't exactly been... dead, when Cobra had torn them apart. Nor had they been strictly unconscious for the duration of their dismantling. Cobra had ended up needing to take precautions to keep them from screaming. ...Or at least, not _too_ loudly, that is. It would have been no fun at all if there hadn't been _some_ screaming.

Jellal stared at him in horror. Feeling the shocked gaze of Meredy on him, Cobra tuned her out. The rest of the former Oracion Seis took this information in stride, waiting to hear more. They knew Cobra well enough by this point to recognize when he was needling someone - though to what end they could only guess at.

Cobra himself wasn't entirely certain why he was goading Jellal, though he still added with a fanged sneer, "And. I. _Enjoyed it_."

It had the desired effect, as Jellal lurched forward to grab Cobra by his collar. Allowing it, the poisonous mage met Jellal's enraged glare with singular flatness, almost disinterest. "You..." Jellal grit out, between his clenched teeth, his fists on Cobra's jacket shaking with rage. "You-!"

"Monster?" Cobra finished. "Is that what you were going to say? Is _that_ ," Cobra's lip curled in a snarl, "what you were going to call me? News flash - I _am_ one. And whose fault is that, exactly?"

Grip slackening, Jellal went pale.

"Low blow, Erik," Sawyer muttered.

"Is it?" Cobra asked, his slitted eye sliding around in order to regard his old cellmate. "Did _he_ reform overnight? Fuck no. So why the fuck does he expect us to?" The Dragon Slayer shoved his hands into his pockets, eye flicking back to Jellal. He tilted his head slightly to the side. Even after two months, it was difficult to reconcile the ill-looking man before him - his hands no longer trembling with anger but with the force of his own self-revulsion - with the terrifying visage of the young boy that had been the source of all the pain in Cobra's life.

"I-" Jellal began, finally dropping Cobra. It hadn't been lost on him that Cobra did not intend to do anything about the transgression to his personal space, though what Jellal did not realize was that Cobra had entrapped his hands in order to _prevent_ himself from doing something rash like attacking his Guild Master.

"Jellal didn't kill anyone in his relapses," Meredy interjected softly. "And neither did I. Nor have any of the others. That's the difference, Erik."

Grunting, Cobra acknowledged the pink-haired woman's words. "So what are you going to do about it, Jellal?" Cobra was honestly curious.

"I could kick you out. Or dump you on the Rune Knights, to be taken back into custody."

"You could."

A groan came the only tent still standing. Midnight stuck his head out the flap. "Can you guys keep it down for five minutes? I mean, is that to much to ask for?" He froze, blinking blearily at Cobra's figure, his clothes stained with the telltale brownish red of dried blood. "Shit, who did you kill? Sorano? Because I would understand that."

The Celestial mage straightened her spine in indignation. "Sorry to ruin your hopes, _Macbeth_ , but I'm still very much alive and able to kick your ass."

Midnight hung his head and sighed. "Pity." Then he glanced back up. "So? Who did you kill?"

"Some men," Cobra replied, bored.

Digesting this information, Midnight nodded to himself. "Okay."

"Then he dismembered them," Racer offered his own input. "And dissolved what was left. His words."

"Meaning you ripped them apart at the joints, using your bare hands. Or claws. And dissolution? Clever - it's a classic. Less cleanup that way," Midnight concluded, knowing his comrade well. Cobra shrugged indifferently in response. "Were they still conscious?"

Cobra decided it was amusing that Midnight automatically assumed they had been alive for this. "For most of it." After a moment's pause, he added, "And yes... they screamed."

Jellal and Meredy looked like they might vomit.

Again, Midnight nodded. "Thought so." Then Midnight asked the one question that - surprisingly - none of the others had thought to. "Did they deserve it?"

Cobra's eye narrowed to a dangerous slit, malevolence pouring off of him in palpable waves. " _Yes_."

"So... why is everyone waking me up for this, again?" Midnight inquired, yawning. "...What? Why are you all staring at me?"

"They want to know how you came to that conclusion," Cobra informed him, also yawning. "Dammit, you ass. Now I'm yawning, too. I'm fucking tired."

"Too fucking bad. Deal with it," Midnight muttered. "Isn't it obvious, though? I mean... how many people was it?"

"Seven," Cobra said.

"No wonder you're exhausted. I would be too; tearing a man apart is gratifying to say the least, but it's a lot of work. Forget about _seven_ \- no way I'd bother with even one. Especially not when I'm in a city. Which made me wonder why you did. Ergo, it was personal. I'm just curious about what it was they did to piss you off that badly."

The Poison Dragon Slayer chose not to clarify, remaining silent.

"We don't have the right to decide who lives or dies, Erik. They weren't dark guild, were they?"

Eye narrowing, Cobra regarded Jellal coolly. "Suffering all sounds the same, Jellal. Does it really make a difference what affiliation a person claims when they do evil? I don't think so. I may be a part of an independent guild now, but I'm still a monster. Only now, I'm on a leash."

Hesitant, Jellal questioned, "Erik, if there were mitigating circumstances, why haven't you said anything about it?"

Cobra's gaze was level as he faced his leader. "I don't make excuses for my actions. I'd also already resolved the situation without killing them. I went back, and then I murdered them, because I wanted to. I did it for _sport_. It's that simple."

Jellal's fists clenched again. "Tell me exactly what happened, then, so I can decide a fitting punishment. You broke our rules, Erik. I told you when you joined - we only kill when absolutely necessary when we taken down the dark guilds. So clarify for me why you chose to ignore that. And yes, this is an order."

Mouth opening to protest, Cobra closed it a second later, glaring. He didn't want to tell them - at all. Though he knew he didn't really have a choice, because despite his issues with Jellal's philosophies, he wanted to stay. Finally, he said, "I ran into Lucy Heartfilia."

That simple sentence sparked an uproar.

With everyone suddenly asking him questions at once, Cobra growled in frustration. "If you want me to tell you what happened, then shut the fuck up! Wait until I'm done, at least!" It quieted. "I didn't hurt her, morons." Deciding to leave out how she'd approached him, Cobra continued, "Short version is, these dickwads in the bar tried to drug her. So I put a stop to it. I may be the Poison Dragon Slayer, but I don't care for shit like that."

Rubbing his temple with one hand, Jellal shook his head. "While I'm happy that you helped someone out, I don't see you killing them just for that."

The Oracion Seis then looked at Jellal with pity in their gazes.

"Jellal," Richard began, offering his opinion for the first time that morning,"just what do you think they were going to do after they succeeded."

The bluenette frowned.

With a sneer, Cobra informed him, "I heard what they were thinking. They were going to drag her out into the alley, and then they were going to take turns." Voice rising to a furious snarl, Cobra pressed on, "Eventually, they were going to kill her. But that wouldn't happen for a while. And I had to listen to every. Single. Detail."

Meredy started to cry.

Cobra's gaze softened at the sound of the young woman's tears. He hadn't meant to push her like that - only Jellal had been the target of his derision. Meredy's situation hadn't been much different from their own - too young to know better, the sins she committed were ones she still strove to repair. The pinkette was genuinely remorseful over the things she'd done, even though she'd been a child at the time with no other recourse. Cobra and the rest of Oracion Seis found it harder within themselves to feel regret for what they'd needed to do to survive, but they understood why Meredy might.

Jellal was more difficult for them to feel sympathy for, though that had more to do with the fact that they were his victims. He may have been forgiven, but his actions would never be forgotten. Truth was, they were with Crime Sorciere in part to see if he could prove that change and redemption was even possible. The man was one for extremes, they had discovered - when Jellal decided to pursue a goal, good or evil, he did it with a single minded, uncompromising tenacity that was almost admirable. Should he ever falter on his path, though... Cobra's actions against _others_ would be the _least_ of Jellal's concerns.

"It was partly my own fault that she didn't recognize she was in danger," Cobra suddenly admitted, very uncomfortable. "She saw me, identified me as the greatest threat in the room, and failed to realize that there were other monsters present." He sighed. "That's the problem with mages who work in teams exclusively - trust others to watch your back too often and you forget how to protect it yourself."

"But, surely Natsu..."

"Wasn't there." Jellal drew back in surprise at Cobra's statement. "And no, I'm not going to say any more about that. It really is none of our business. Now, what are you going to do about my actions, Jellal? I'm waiting."

Turmoil raged inside of Jellal's soul; waves of conflicting emotions twisted and frothed as he contemplated how to handle Cobra. Finally, Jellal sighed. "I have to say that, although you definitely went overboard, I can't actually disagree with what you did. You were protecting someone. So your punishment is to continue with that trend. Cobra, you're on perimeter guard duty until further notice - all of the ugly shifts. Is that understood?"

That was... a rather light punishment, in Cobra's opinion. Jellal was going soft on them, but Cobra wasn't going to complain overmuch. Though it meant his sleep schedule was going to be fucked up for a while. "Fine. I'm going to go clean up, then. Dried blood? It fucking _itches_."

Midnight trailed after him, also in need of freshening up before they left again. Besides, he still had a question for his comrade.

"Spit it out!" Cobra growled once they were out of earshot of the others.

The Reflector mage contemplated his friend for a moment. "Lucy Heartfilia, huh?"

"Your point?"

Rolling his eyes, Midnight continued, "Don't give me that - you can hear exactly what I'm getting at. You can fool the others, but I'm not nearly so easy to deceive. I'm an Illusion mage, after all. I know you well, Erik. You would have killed those people no matter who their intended victim was, but you wouldn't have gone to nearly the lengths that you did." He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. "So I have to assume there was something different this time - something you're not telling us."

The Dragon Slayer remained silent.

"The Heartfilia girl... Did you intend to wipe the slate clean, with this?"

Blinking in surprise, Cobra admitted. "I... hadn't actually thought about it like that."

Midnight suddenly snorted with laughter. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be too shocked. You've always had a soft spot for her."

Cobra looked at him like he was crazy. Crazier than normal. "How do you figure?"

"Tell me, what do you think of her abilities?"

After a moment, Cobra responded, "She can summon three golden Zodiac Spirits at once. If we were to fight, she might give me a spot of trouble. Why?"

"So you respect her. Do you want to kill her?"

"No?" Cobra was genuinely confused about where Midnight was heading with this.

"And there you have it." Midnight laughed again.

"I can hear your thoughts, but I'm still not following your messed up logic," Cobra informed him.

Midnight groaned in exasperation. "It's not _my_ logic that's twisted here. Tell me, do you want to kill _us_?"

"On a fairly regular basis." Cobra often found himself contemplating the murder of his comrades. They were very irritating people.

"And you actually _like_ us."

"I never said that."

"We still know you do," Midnight told him. "So I have to wonder... the man who wants to kill pretty much every single person he actually respects, now respects someone but doesn't want to kill them? You can understand my interest."

Cobra started to walk off, not wanting to dwell on what Midnight was telling him. "I think you're fucking crazy, Macbeth."

* * *

All was tranquil in the grand, ancient forest that lay two days' journey south from the city of Shirotsume. The trees, towering giants whose true ages could only be guessed at, stood tall and proud despite the years that would twist and gnarl lesser specimens. Interlocking branches formed a thick canopy, allowing only scant golden light through to dapple the forest floor. Roots, as thick around as a man, wove together in reflection to the emerald roof high above.

Thick, perfumed air clogged the space between the sentinels, the flowering plants from which it originated basking in the sparse sunshine allotted to them by their gargantuan cousins. A warm, sedate breeze wound its way amongst the trunks, in no great hurry to reach its intended destination, wheresoever that may lie.

Lazy chattering and drowsy chirps amongst the foliage provided clues to the forest's inhabited state, though the denizens kept well out of sight. Hums of insect wings hovered near the blooms and liquid gold light filtered down. A nearby brook babbled to itself and the fish that called it home. Rustling leaves in the canopy provided a hushed chorus to accompany the symphony of forest song.

A blonde woman, picking her way amongst the upraised roots, squeezed past two shrubs. Pausing, she glanced around at the cavernous woods. She reflected that this place, the epitome of calm, would be a lovely place to wander about. To contemplate great things or perhaps nothing at all - to let this simple peace wash over her.

If only she weren't so completely and hopelessly... _lost_.

Lucy was beginning to become frustrated with the idyll landscape within which she found herself. She had come on assignment for Jason, the man having been struck down by a rather violent case of the flu, to photograph evidence of a dark guild that had supposedly taken up residence in the area.

A dark guild that she had failed to locate even after five hours of systematically searching the forest. That would have been the end of it, and Lucy would have exited the place with little further fuss, if only a spotted, pink squirrel hadn't chosen to abscond with her keys.

Screaming bloody murder as she chased the brightly hued vermin around, trying to recapture her beloved spirits' gate keys, Lucy had lost track of both time and her location.

Eventually the squirrel had bored of leading the shrieking blonde woman around and had abandoned the magical items. It disappeared into the underbrush before Lucy could nab the creature. When she looked up, Lucy had then found herself in an unfamiliar part of the forest. With no clue as to which direction "OUT" lay in. She thought to consult Pyxis, only to recall that she'd given the Compass spirit the week off. Poor timing to be traipsing about in a living labyrinth, but here she was.

Frustrated, Lucy plopped to the ground at the foot of a huge tree. She had no idea what species it was, and although she would normally be at least a little curious, at the moment she was too wound up to give it much thought. Cradling her head in her hands and closing her eyes, she groaned at her predicament. That wasn't all, though. She'd had an extremely strange week thus far.

It all started with her assignment to interview some of the residents of one of the worst slum neighborhoods in Fiore. And it had been going well - most everyone she had met with had been friendly and more than willing to help her understand what their living conditions were like. Of course, not all of it had been peachy-keen, Lucy had found herself in dire straits a couple of times that, thankfully, her spirits had managed to get her out of. Still, overall the day had been a success and Lucy felt she could write her article.

Until someone mentioned seeing an odd fellow around for the past couple of days. This individual had stuck out to locals, with his off-red hair, tanned skin, squinty eyes, and his mischievous smirk.

Lucy had felt her heart skip several beats. Was it Natsu? Could it possibly be him? The Celestial mage had interrogated everyone she could find about this mysterious individual. The reports all varied, as eyewitness accounts tended to. But Lucy was determined, and she finally tracked him down to a rather unpleasant-looking establishment.

Her gaze sweeping over the dim tables, she spotted...

Not Natsu.

Lucy's heart stilled at the sight of the unconscious man, draped over a table in the corner of the room.

 _Cobra._

There was no mistaking him, even in a place with such poor lighting.

How the hell had the witnesses managed to not notice his giant facial scar, and pointed ears?! Not only that, he only had one eye, and his skin wasn't merely _tan._ It was dark _mocha_.

Running would have been the best option for her. Here was a man that had tried to kill her friends, and had participated in Midnight's attempt to sacrifice her to the Infinity Clock. By all rights, she should have turned tail and fled. But that's not what she did. Instead, Lucy had walked up to him.

Why had she done that? At the time, Lucy herself hadn't understood what had compelled her to approach the Dragon Slayer.

Now that she'd had time to think about it, though... she knew _exactly_ why she'd done it.

It may not have been Natsu she found in that bar, but it was a familiar person. The first in two months. Lucy hadn't cared what he'd done in the past, nor how tenuous the connection actually was - she'd never spoken directly to him before, come to think of it. She had just wanted to see a familiar face - she didn't care who it belonged to.

Lucy was just... so damn lonely.

In a strange, ironic twist, she now owed the man. The Celestial mage wasn't nearly so naive as she sometimes pretended - it wasn't lost on her what Cobra had actually saved her from. Drinks, quite frankly, didn't seem like enough to repay him, but it was all she could come up with on the spot. Although... even if she had offered first, it still surprised her when he asked her to join him for more than just the proffered single drink.

Cobra had been nothing but polite to her the entire time. He'd silently listened to her rambling, only interpreting when he took away the drugged brew.

That freaked her out. Just a bit. Then again... she had likely surprised him quite a bit too by coming up to him and suddenly engaging a former enemy in conversation.

As if that entire debacle was surreal enough, here she was - looking for a dark guild of all things, in this temperate, beautiful ancient grove. Something about it didn't sit right with her, hadn't since Jason had first brought it to her. Investigative journalists did work on assignments like this, yes, but Sorcerer Weekly was mostly a gossip magazine. It was already unusual enough for Lucy to have received a more substantive assignment that week - but two? Also... this job hadn't been given to her at all. It was for Jason.

It struck her as very suspicious, that a reporter like Jason with no magical abilities would be sent to investigate a dark, magical guild. Luckily, he'd taken sick and given the assignment to Lucy.

Though Lucy hadn't actually found any dark guild within the woods, so maybe she was just being paranoid.

"No dark guilds here - but I guess an independent guild is more or less dark according to the Magic Council."

Lucy let out a screech at the unexpected, baritone voice next to her ear. Her eyes flying open, her head shot up to locate the source.

Standing above her, wincing, was a very familiar Dragon Slayer indeed.

"What the fuck?! You don't need to scream in my ears!" Cobra growled, covering them with his hands. "What decibel _was_ that? Fucking hurt!" He shook his head to clear it, dropping his hands to his sides.

With a squeak, Lucy scrambled to her feet. "I'm sorry!" Once she was in front of him, she awkwardly wrung her hands. "Um... Hi?" she ventured, not sure what else to do.

"Yo," he replied, meeting her gaze levelly.

Great. _Now_ what was she supposed to do?!

* * *

 ** _Before anyone asks, I went with "Yo" for the simple reason that that's the first thing out of Cobra's mouth in the Infinity Clock arc. Granted, he said it to Wendy. Still, it made me giggle._**

 ** _Let me know what you think - I can't improve otherwise._**


End file.
